When the credits rolled on Coco,at the theater where I was watching it, the crowd exploded into a thunderous applause. I too was clapping hard along with everyone else. My thirteen year old son was trying to conceal his teary eyes as he clapped along. Never in my recent memory had I been in a theater where a movie had gotten that kind of an applause at the end. But then again never had I seen Mexican Culture so beautifully expressed on screen. I was left with so many emotions at the end of this movie. I was homesick for my family’s ancestral home. It reminded me of how much I missed my grandparents. And I was left in awe at how beautifully they captured the small town and big town feeling of Mexico. Not just visually, but also the heart of Mexico. Not for one second did Coco capitalize on a stereo type of Mexican people for a cheap laugh. What it did do was play tribute to the things that make Mexico and the people of Mexico so special. It brought onto screen a glimpse of Mexican art, music and values. Family Values being the heart of the movie. Coco far surpassed any expectations I had of it. The music was lovely, both the traditional music used and the original songs made for the movie. The story was gripping and heart breaking and beautiful. It showed the values of the Mexican people. Their hard work, their love of food, music and most importantly the love for their families. All of it was beautifully protrayed on screen. Talking about death and the growing pains of not being able to be who you really identify as in a film is very difficult. I believe Coco managed that well. But the thing that most impressed me was the art and how visually amazing Coco was. I had just been on vacation last month to my parent’s home state of Zacatecas,Mexico. I traveled the state of Zacatecas and came home with hundreds of photos. Seeing Coco made me incredibly home sick for Mexico. They captured the feeling of Mexico so spot on. Below are stills from the movie and the movie trailer in a side by side with my vacation photos. I am wildly impressed. If this movie doesn’t win an Academy Award for the Art alone, it will be a sad day.
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